People mingle outdoors at Estancia La Jolla before the start of the Xconomy Awards San Diego program.

A group from Daré Bioscience attends in support of CEO Sabrina Martucci Johnson, who was a finalist in the CEO category as well as an emcee.

Hilda Mwangi, senior manager for site engagement at Takeda California, chats inside the La Jolla Ballroom during the awards gala.

The San Diego sunshine is hard to leave, but groups of guests began sitting down to eat as the program prepared to kick off.

Coworkers and friends came together to celebrate their achievements and those of others in the life sciences community.

About 250 guests packed a ballroom at Estancia and settled down to dinner as the program got underway.

Winners were recognized in nine distinct categories.

Huang, Xconomy's editor in chief, references the site's 2008 launch in San Diego, and notes how much the region has achieved since then.

The evening's emcees, Martucci Johnson (left), CEO of Daré Bioscience, who was a finalist in the CEO category, and Marquet, co-founder and co-CEO of Alma Life Sciences, prepare to reveal the winners and present them with their awards.

ViaCyte, led by Paul Laikind, was one of two winners of the Big Idea award. The company's technology has the potential to become a functional cure for Type 1 diabetes.

ViaCyte, represented by CEO Laikind, and Yeo of UC San Diego, both won in the Big Idea category.

Yeo's Big Idea award recognized his work on a new way to use CRISPR gene editing.

Corson, of Mirati Therapeutics, was recognized for her work in crafting complex business deals.

Smith holds the trophy he received after the company he heads was named the winner of the Digital Trailblazer category.

Villalpando reveals the Commitment to Diversity award winner. Alexandria was the event's platinum sponsor.

Mah, (right), was recently named president of the longtime local accelerator Connect. She has also started and run a number of organizations devoted to advancing women in business.

Mah and Villalpando, an assistant design project manager at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, celebrate Mah's win in the Commitment to Diversity category.

Royston, a founder of San Diego's first biotech, Hybritech, spoke about his decades-long career in biotech and his belief in the importance of collaboration in the life sciences community.

Royston and Marquet clink champagne flutes before he addresses attendees.

Kinsbruner Bush, general counsel at Organovo, holds the company's Innovation at the Intersection award. The company is working to produce 3D-printed living tissue to tide over people in need of transplants.

Marquet congratulates Loring, of the Scripps Research Institute, on her X of the Year award: Stem Cell Pioneer of the Year. Two X of the Year finalists were named winners.

Loring's lab focuses on pluripotent stem cells.

Evofem is developing a hormone-free contraceptive product. The company redid clinical trials after receiving a rejection from the FDA in connection with previous data, and is now poised to again ask the FDA for approval of the experimental contraceptive.

LunaDNA won the Startup award for its efforts to develop a community-owned database of health information.

Gorman has been head of Neurocrine Biosciences since 2008. Under his leadership, the company brought to market the first-ever FDA-approved medicine for tardive dyskinesia, a severe side effect of some psychiatric drugs.

The Neurocrine team celebrates its leader's recognition with the CEO award.

Award winners come together for a group photo with the evening's emcees.

Friends and colleagues chat after the award ceremony wraps up.

Although the formal program concluded in about an hour, many attendees stayed afterward to mingle with colleagues and celebrate together.

Grossman (in blue), who was a finalist in the X of the Year category as Inspiration of the Year, is a tireless advocate for people with disabilities. She recently graduated from college with a degree in political science.